Emotion dysregulation is an adaptive skill defined as the inability to identify, evaluate, and modify one’s unhelpful thoughts, distressing emotional responses, and maladaptive behaviors to achieve desired outcomes and improve overall well-being. Whether it is difficulty challenging distorted thinking, employing relaxation techniques to manage physiological arousal, or engaging in behavioral activation to counter avoidance, the behavior falls under the umbrella of dysregulation if it limits one’s ability to create more helpful and functional responses to internal and external triggers.
